Belinda, You're a Witch
by Darklois69
Summary: Harry was destined to have a terrible life by Voldemort's choices. Draco was destined to be a terrible person by his father's direction. As with Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Belinda Faust was destined to live a life of deceit away from her birthright...
1. Chapter 1

((Hello, everybody! Just wanted to mention, this story is in one of my AU's where Remus wasn't in Gryffindor but Slytherin [dont hate me], and he befriended Severus along with the rest of the Marauders. That is not to say Severus was completely accepted, of course; James and Sirius just picked on him less when Remus was around. Also, have some stats on Belinda; Belinda Faust: 15, technically emo (used to cut, listens to dark music and screamo, wears all black, dyed her hair black w/red streaks), lives in New York with her parents Jaison and Basilisa Faust. Anyway, on with the story! Hope you like it!))

"Mom, I'm home!" I yelled as I entered my house.

"I'm in the living room!" Mom answered. I set my bag down and went to find her. She was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. I sat down next to her and started telling her about my day.

"The most interesting part was I ran into someone on the way home," I said, concluding my uneventful day.

"Oh? Who was it?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but it felt like I knew her," I said. She looked up from her magazine worriedly.

"What was she wearing?" I thought that was a weird question, but i told her anyway.

"Black robes," I said. "Oh, and she had a big hood covering her face. I tried to find her, but she seemed to disappear into the crowd." Even though there was no crowd, I thought. Mom stood up and told me to go pack my clothes, and to meet her in the basement in half an hour. I nodded warily and went to my room.

I grabbed my suitcase and stuffed my band shirts, skinny jeans, and my undergarments into it. I still had room left, so I went to my closet and took my dresses out, packed them and then shut my suitcase. My purse was still on my bed, so I picked it up and stuffed my phone charger, hairbrush, and some other things into that bag, then went downstairs.

"Jaison, it's time," I heard my mom say while I was on the stairs. I heard her hang up the phone shortly after, and she went to the basement. I followed her down, and saw her standing in front of an unlit fireplace.

"Mom, what's going on?" I asked as she turned towards me with a fist full of...dust? Ashes? I couldn't tell.

"I'll tell you once-"

"Basilisa! I'm home!" Came my dad's voice. He came running downstairs to us. "Have you told her yet?" He asked mom. She shook her head and threw the dust into the fireplace, making the fireplace roar with green flame.

Wait. Green flame?! "Belinda, come here," she called.

"Tell me what's going on, first," I said backing to the wall.

"I'm sorry Lindy, but there isn't time," dad said reaching for me. He grabbed my arm as mom grabbed his shoulder and the door to the basement opened.

Soon after I felt like I was being pulled through a garden hose, stretched into taffy, call it what you will, it was uncomfortable. We landed on what felt like concrete, at least to my face. I tried to stand up, but as soon as my legs were under my body, they gave out and I started throwing up.

"That'll happen at first," mom said behind me. I soon felt her hand rubbing circles on my back in comfort. Once I regained some control of my stomach I glared at them both.

"What, the hell did you just do?" I (somewhat) demanded, panting.

"We'll explain everything once we're inside," dad said.

He nodded at mom and she said "My name is Basilisa Faust, and I am the Secret Keeper of Number 12 Grimmauld Place." Behind me came this rumbling and as I turned toward it, a building grew from in-between two others. I stood up and watched in amazement as mom and dad dragged me to the newly grown fence. They held the gate open and I realized they wanted me to walk through. I watched their faces as they watched everywhere around us, and dad held a stick quite menacingly.

"Come, dear," mom said holding her arms out to me. I ran into her arms and we ran into the place before us. The door shut behind dad and mom led us down the dark hallway, which at any other time in my life would be awesome, into a long room with a table big enough to fill said room from this entrance (at the foot) to the other door (at the head). There were three people sitting at the head of the table, and they all looked up when we walked in.

One had dark, shaggy hair, sat slumped in his chair, and looked at us with familiarity. The man sitting opposite him had shorter hair, straightening his posture at the sound of the door, and scars running diagonally along his face. Meanwhile, the man sitting between the two had blond hair, and what looked to be an eyepatch, but instead of a patch there was another eye which flicked around the room all on its own. All three men wore robes of differing colors (black, tan/brown, and grey). The man with the shaggy hair moved down his side of the table towards us rather quickly, as did the man with scars but in a more apprehensive way.

"Basilisa! What are you doing here?" asked the shaggy man. Mom threw her arms around him and embraced him like a family member.

"We couldn't stay any longer," dad said shaking hands with the scarred man. "After all, not many people in New York wear black robes, do they?"

"Did she find you? Are you all all right?" asked the scarred man.

"Yes, we're fine, Remus," said mom letting go of the shaggy man. "Luckily, she didn't have the chance to find us."

"Or so you hope. I know how my cousin works," shaggy man said. "Mad-Eye, would you go tell Molly and Arthur what's happened?" He asked 'Mad-Eye,' apparently. He left through the door behind him, and I got fed up not knowing anything.

"How's about telling me what's happened? Or what the hell this is? Who are you people? Who are you, really?" I asked pointing at Remus and the shaggy man, then mom and dad.

"Belinda, my name is Sirius Black," the shaggy guy said, "and this is Remus Lupin," he said pointing at his friend (who tensed when his name was spoken).

"Remus is your uncle, Belinda, and Sirius is one of our oldest friends," dad said. "As to who we really are...We are members of the Order of the Phoenix." I looked at him and gestured for him to keep going. "Belinda, you're a witch, just like your mother, and I'm a wizard."

"What."

I looked towards my mother and she pulled out a stick, held in point up in the air, and red sparks shot out of the point dissipating in the air. "The green flame, that was Floo Powder. That's how we all get around, along with apparating," she told me.

"What."

"I think you overwhelmed her," Remus said looking concerned. I started swaying, and I think someone caught me before I blacked out. All I know is I woke up in a dark room, on a very comfortable bed. I sat up and looked around the room to see...nothing. With no lights on, I couldn't see anything.

"Lumos."

A light came on and shot to the ceiling, revealing a man dressed in all black sitting in a chair at the end of the bed. He looked either very angry for some unknown reason, or he was just not wanting to be there.

"Who are you, sir?" I asked. My New York accent sounded odd and out of place amongst all these Brits. He didn't answer, just watched me. "Sir?" Knock, knock, knock.

"Severus? Are you still there?" Remus asked quietly through the door. He opened the door after not getting a response. "Ah, Belinda. Are you alright? You gave your poor mother quite a scare."

"I'm fine, Mr. Lupin," I said.

"Call me Uncle Remus, or even just Remus if you prefer. And this man," he said pointing to Severus (?), "is Severus Snape, one of my most trusted friends. He'll be your potions master at Hogwarts, which reminds me. Your letter came this morning." He handed me an envelope with a rubber seal holding it closed and on the front in green lettering was written "Belinda Faust Second Door in the Upstairs Hallway Number 12 Grimmauld Place". I looked up at Remus curiously. "Listen, come downstairs, and we'll explain everything. Severus, would you like to join us?"

"Is the dog still here?" He finally said.

"Considering it is his house, yes," Remus replied.

"Then, no my friend," he said standing. "I doubt the dog wants me here, to be honest. Good day, Ms. Faust. I shall see you again soon." And he disappeared. I stood up slowly and walked to the door to go downstairs.

Remus and I walked into the dining hall to see a room full of gingers. The table had (1, 2,…) 6 gingers sitting around it with a couple more people I didn't recognize sitting next to mom and dad. Remus put his hand on my shoulder and led us to a couple empty chairs next to the ginger infestation. Everyone stared at me for a few seconds before going back to what they were talking about. I tuned them all out and tried to come to terms with what I had been told.

I'm a witch. And pretty much my entire life has been a lie-OOH, FOOD! I came back to my mind just in time to see a plate full of delicious-looking treats land in front of my face.

"Eat, dear," mom said. I took a bite out of something that looked like a danish but tasted like pumpkin. I thought it was really good!

"It's called a pumpkin pasty," one of the gingers told me. "I'm Fred, by the way."

"No, I'm Fred!" Said the identical ginger next to him. They started bickering to themselves and I kept eating. Remus introduced the others as we ate; Arthur and Molly, father and mother to Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and several other children who weren't here. The girl sitting next to Ron was Hermione (such a weird name!) and the boy sitting next to them was Harry Potter. Apparently he's a big name here, since Sirius called him "my godson, the Boy Who Lived!" with a proud grin. Harry just seemed to be tired, in my opinion. He had a very weary look on his, actually fairly handsome face. After everyone finished eating, Harry and Sirius went off to another room so I took the chance to find out just what is happening.

I stood up and went over to Ron and (Herman? Hermoingle? Hermanonucleosis?) to attempt to be social. "Hi, I'm Belinda," I said waving feebly. Ron and Hermione (I think) smiled at me. "Um, can you guys tell me what is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Well," I started nervously, "I just found out I'm a witch. What does that mean?"

"It means you can do magic, once you get a wand and some training," Hermione said.

"Which should be fairly soon. Mum said she was gonna take us all to Diagon Alley in a few days," Ron chimed in. I just stood where I was, confused as fuck. "Diagon Alley is where we buy the supplies we need for our year. We're in fifth year, so we just need new books and maybe some robes."

"How do we know what we need?" I asked.

"Check your letter," Hermione said. Oh, yeah, I completely forgot about it!

"Ron, Hermione, Harry wanted to talk to you both upstairs," Sirius said coming back into the room. They left in a hurry and I felt abandoned, so I decided to go back to where I was sleeping earlier to find my letter. I went upstairs and passed an open door. Now, normally I don't eavesdrop, but when I heard Ron, Harry, and Hermione talking about me…

"She's just new, Harry. Give her a break!" Ron said.

"Sirius said her and her family were on the run. Now why would they be running?" Harry asked.

"Perhaps she and you are in the same position?" Hermione queried. That was when I decided to stop listening. I didn't want to be famous like Harry, for reasons no one has explained to me yet. Right now, I want to be me, even though I don't know who I am anymore. Once I got to the room I was in, I took a better look around. The walls were dark green, along with the four-poster bed in the middle of the room. The window on the right is medium sized, and has beautiful black curtains pulled back to let in some light.

I went to the bed and grabbed my letter. Trying to be careful, I peeled off the rubber seal and pulled out the letter. There were several pieces of paper folded together, one of which was my list of school supplies. Another one was addressed to mom and dad, and seemed blank except for the introduction. The third paper was for me and read;

 _'_ _Dear Ms. Faust,_

 _We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please see enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress'_

This was still incredibly weird, but I had about a month to process everything before the term started. Until then, though, I'm going to try to catch up with the wizarding world. First things first, why the hell didn't anyone tell me. But considering its night, I'll ask in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

"Belinda? Belinda, are you awake, dear?" 'I am now,' I thought. Mom seemed to want my attention, but I was still slightly pissed at her and dad, so I kept 'sleeping.' "I wish this didn't have to happen, but you're safer here. Just know we love you. Always." Then she kissed my forehead and I heard a pop then nothing. I sat up and looked around. I laid back down for a while realizing what my mom just did. She left.

"Lumos." Once again, Severus' voice filled the room, along with light from his wand. "Your mother and father have left you in my care, Ms. Faust. I know not where they have gone, do not ask." It's like he could read my mind. "In a few hours, Mrs. Weasley will take you to Diagon Alley. Once you procure your items for class, go to Knockturn Alley and look for a shop with the name Mulpepper's Apothecary. I will be waiting inside. Until then, have a good day, Belinda." And then another pop and he's gone, with his light.

'Lumos,' I thought. 'That must be the spell for light.' SInce I was sitting in complete darkness, I thought I'd try it out. "Lumos," I said. Nothing happened. "Lumos!" Still nothing. "LUMOS, GOGDAMNIT!" I shouted. A little ball of light appeared in front of my face. I poked at it with my finger and it moved. The ball of light didn't feel warm, cold, or anything else. It just was. I cupped my hands around it and brought the ball towards my heart, stopping at my chest. The door opened and the ball disappeared.

"Belinda, are you up?" Harry asked. I was really glad he didn't see my ball of light; Hermione did say you need a wand to do magic, and since I was still wandless…

"I'm up, Harry. What's up?" I replied. He came in, turned on the lights, and closed the door. He sat on the bed, at the end, with his head in his hands. I scooted up next to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. He seemed startled, but relaxed after a moment. "Harry, I know you don't know me really at all, but if you need to talk, I'll listen." He looked my way, contemplating if he should trust me. He must not, considering he said nothing. I just patted his shoulder and retracted my arm. "So, what did you need?"

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley sent me to wake you up for breakfast," he said standing. I stood up as well and followed him out the door.

"I have a question," I said as we walked downstairs. "Why are you famous?" He stopped for a second, then continued walking.

"You-Know-Who killed my parents when I was a baby. He tried to kill me, but I survived. Which I guess is why I'm famous," he said. "You-Know-Who died trying to kill me, and all I got was this scar." He pulled his hair back to show a lightning bolt scar above his right eyebrow. I was tempted to poke it, 'cause it looked fresh even though it was years old, but figured he'd think that was weird (which it is weird to go around poking people's scars). "Ever since then, he's been trying to come back. He wants to take over the wizarding world and kill me. Between you and me," he said quietly, "he came back last year. No one believes me, but I saw him. I saw him come back. I saw him-" He stopped talking and looked away. I hadn't realized how loud his voice had gotten until he silenced it. He kept walking downstairs and I figured he had dropped the topic until I heard him whisper, "I saw him kill Cedric." I kept my mouth shut and kept walking.

We reached the first floor, and I heard a pop, then felt like someone was watching me. I turned around and saw two gingers watching me from above. They smiled and disappeared before reappearing in the doorway in front of Harry.

"Just because you're 17 does not mean you need to whip your wands out for everything!" Came a voice from behind them. A short, slightly stout woman with lots of red hair followed the voice and shooed the boys to the table. Once she saw Harry and I, she smiled and hugged us. "It's so good to see you both," she said. Harry went to eat and I stayed put with…? "I'm Molly Weasley, Ron's mum." It's like she can read my mind. What the hell? "Come along, dear, before breakfast gets cold. Or Ron eats everything," she said with a chuckle.

The whole house must've been eating at the same time, because there weren't any open chairs. I just grabbed a plate of fruit and went to sit on the stairs. I ate in silence, every so often hearing a laugh or bad joke come from the dining room. I headed back upstairs once I finished, but before I could get halfway up the stairs, I felt a hand on my arm.

"Where're you going, Belinda?" Ron asked as I turned to face him.

"I was going to listen to music for a while," I replied. He looked confused. "I've got a bunch of music on my phone, so I was gonna chill in bed for a while."

"What's a phone?" He asked.

"You're kidding me, Ron," I said. His expression didn't change, so he must have been serious. "Phones are devices used to communicate between people across distances, from five hundred miles to five feet."

"Oh, like owls?" He asked. I must have looked confused then cause he explained owls to me; "Wizards use owls to send letters, papers, anything we need, really. But how do you have music on something you use to communicate?"

"Come upstairs with me, and I'll show you," I said, starting my walk up again. I heard footsteps behind me, so he must've been curious. Once we got to 'my' room, I bounced on the bed over to the sidetable, grabbing my phone before getting comfy. Ron sat next to me, wide-eyed at the device in my hands. I opened my phone and saw twenty fucking texts from my friends asking where I was. I didn't reply and instead went straight to the music app, starting up one of my favorite songs, "Lost It All" by Black Veil Brides. Ron jumped back and pointed his wand at my phone when it started, but once I started singing, he calmed down.

"I ruled the world, with these hands I shook the Heavens to the ground. I laid the gods to rest. I held the key to the kingdom, lions guarding castle walls. Hail the king, of death. Then I lost it all, dead and broken, my back's against the wall, cut me open. I'm just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out. Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down, and said then I lost it all and who can save me now?

"I stood above, another war another jewel upon the crown. I was the fear of man. But I was blind, I couldn't see the world there right in front of me. But now I can. Cause I lost it all, dead and broken my back's against the wall. Cut me open, I'm just trying to breathe, just trying to figure it out. Because I built these walls to watch them crumbling down. I said, then I lost it all and, who can save me now?

"I believe that we all fall down sometimes, can't you see that we all fall down sometimes. I believe that we all fall down sometimes."

I hadn't remembered the emotional impact that song has on me, and with everything that had happened over the past two days, it hit me even harder. By the end, I was nearly crying (you may think that's not much of an impact, but remember this; I always keep my emotions hidden and hidden well. If I'm nearly crying, I've been breaking down inside for a while).

"Are you ok?" Ron asked. I wiped my eyes and nodded.

"I'm ok, Ron. Do you want to pick a song?" I said, handing him my phone. He tentatively scrolled through my songs, and picked a Sleeping With Sirens song randomly. I wasn't really paying attention, as this was not one of my favorites from them and I wasn't really in the best of moods now. Ron and I sat on my bed for another hour before Hermione came to get us, and as we left she glared at me. I pulled her aside and told her very plainly, "I don't have a thing for Ron, ok? He's all yours." She looked offended, but she knew I was right, and I walked away with my head held high.

"Come along, dears!" Mrs. Weasley called as I quickly moved down the stairs. Everyone was standing in front of a fireplace which had, again, green flames. One of the gingers took a handful of ash from a pot on the mantle of the fireplace, then stepped into the flame and disappeared.

"Is he ok?" I asked. I was met with confused looks, until everyone remembered I had no clue what was going on. Harry came over to me with Remus, and Remus wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"He's fine, Belinda. He's at Diagon Alley. If you'd like, we could go there by apparition instead," Remus said making my stomach lurch. I vigorously shook my head. He nodded and explained how Floo powder works. Or at least, how I would be using it. I got worried, cause I know my enunciation isn't always the best.

"Don't worry," Harry whispered, "the first time I used Floo powder, I landed in Borgin & Burkes' in Knockturn Alley. Watch," he said as Ron stepped into the fireplace.

He raised his fist and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" As he threw the Floo powder at his feet, making the flames engulf him. When the flames dispersed, he was gone. Seeing Ron go through made me feel slightly easier about this. I walked up (with a slight push from Harry and Remus) to the mantle. I took a handful of ashes, and Mrs. Weasley reminded me, "speak very clearly, Belinda. And don't fear the fire, you won't be hurt."

I stepped into the flames and shouted, "DIAGON ALLEY," throwing the ash at my feet and felt an odd sensation. Somewhere close to being pulled through a garden hose, but not as tight. Almost like putting on a corset, but instead of just on my torso it went all over. Let's just say, I was glad when it was over.

I landed in a crowded store, full of books and people in robes. Ron came over to me once he saw me. "Welcome to Diagon Alley!" He said, waving his arm. "Right now, we're in Flourish and Blotts, the best place to get books. Across the way is Ollivander's, where you'd normally get your wand."

"Not without money, I won't," I exclaimed.

"Don't worry about that," Harry said from behind me. Apparently, he, Remus, and the twins had already Flooed in. "Fred, George, don't you have a shop to run?"

"Oh, yes! You're quite right, Mr. Potter," one of them (Fred, maybe?) said.

"But we wanted to make sure our new friend got here all right," the other said, looking my way. I blushed slightly and smiled. They both bowed to me and off they ran.

"What kind of shop do they have?" I asked Ron and Harry as we wandered the stacks of books.

"They've got a joke shop, all courtesy of Harry 'ere!" He replied while Harry tried to cover his mouth before he said why they had it. "He gave them all his winnings from the Triwizard tournament last year!" Harry looked sullen at the remark, and I realized everyone (except us) was glaring at him.

Then I saw the newspapers all around and what they said: "THE BOY WHO LIES?" With a picture of Harry seeming...emotionless. Seeing this made me feel sorry for him, he seemed like a very nice boy, but it also made me happy. If I'd been his friend before this, I could've been in a lot of danger. More than I'm apparently in now.

"Harry, would you mind helping me? I need to find some money," I said attempting to change the subject. He nodded, said something to Ron, and led us outside. The alleyway was deserted, and bleak. I saw down the way a bright, colorful, new-looking shop which I guessed was Fred and George's, but otherwise there wasn't really anything positive about the places here. I saw the shop Ron called Ollivander's, and considering the state of the place, realized I wouldn't be getting a wand there. Yet something about the building pulled me towards the broken storefront.

"There's no reason to go inside, Belinda," Harry said. "Ollivander isn't there. He was kidnapped about a month ago."

"But it's the only place where I could get a wand, Harry," I replied, stepping over the glass and shards of wood. Inside, there was a few chairs (for waiting customers, I assume), a desk, and rows upon rows upon rows of boxes, thin and long enough to house wands.

On top of the desk was a small black box, with red ribbon holding it shut. And a note.

'To whomever finds this, I hope you put it to good use.

Ms. Faust.

-O'

I picked up the box, and immediately felt a beautiful chill run down my spine. I carefully peeled off the ribbon, and inside was the most beautiful piece of wood I'd ever seen; black with red swirled around the length of the wand and silver streaks in the handle. When I picked up the wand, I felt complete, and the red glowed for a moment, then faded to nothing, leaving the swirls blank.

"Harry, Belinda! What are you doing? It's not safe to be in here," came Hermione's voice, and, as I had just now registered, Harry's hand shaking my shoulder. I turned and saw a worried Ron, Harry, and Hermione all looking at me and my wand.

"I think I found my wand," I said. I put my wand back in it's box, but not before seeing a piece of paper where the wand was sitting. It read;

'Silver Lime, 11 1/2 inches, Unicorn hair core.'

I didn't know what all that meant, but I was happy. We four walked out of the broken storefront, and continued on with our journey. Hermione and Ron took the lead, heading toward a big, white building with the name 'Gringotts' stenciled above the entrance in gold lettering. We stepped into Gringotts and into a hall the size of my old house, with desks taller than me on both sides. Behind the desks sat little creatures with long, pointy ears, sharp-looking teeth, and gems ranging from emeralds to rubies to diamonds. "Goblins. I was confused the first time I saw them, too," Harry told me. We reached the end of the hall and stood in front of a goblin sitting about a foot and a half above my head, so I had to crane my neck to look at him.

"Hello," I whimpered. The goblin raised his eyebrow and looked very disinterested.

"Welcome to Gringotts," he said carelessly. "How may I help you today?"

"I, um, was wondering if you had anything for me. My friends said you could help me with not having any money," I answered. "My name's Belinda Faust." My name must've gotten his attention, as his face scrunched into a sneer, yet he handed me something small. I took a look at it and saw a medium size black key, with the handle being a wing of some kind.

"Koggok, help Ms. Faust and her friends to her vault," the head goblin said to someone next to him I couldn't see. Then another goblin stepped out from behind the podium, with his head barely reaching my knee. He waved his hand in our direction and started walking away so we had to hurry to catch up.

"Vault 413," Koggok said as the car we sat in came to a stop. I didn't truly comprehend what he said as I was trying not to throw up. Once my stomach calmed down, I stood up and saw Koggok holding out his hand impatiently. "The key," he said. I put my winged key in his hand and he snapped his hand closed so fast, I thought he would take one of my fingers with it. He walked to the wall and stuck the key in a door, even though the door itself was fairly hard to see. I heard some shifting behind the door and a few seconds later, it opened.

I saw the piles of gold, silver, and copper, and I fainted. Harry caught me before I hit the ground, and stood me back up. He helped me walk into my vault, and inside I saw lime green walls surrounding piles of gold reaching to the ceiling, silver scattered along the floor like someone had grabbed some in a hurry and knocked over the rest. "What are these coins?" I asked, picking up a couple gold and silvers.

"The gold ones are Galleons, the silvers are Sickles, and the coppers are Knuts. 29 Knuts to a Sickle, 17 Sickles to a Galleon," Ron said. I looked over the amount of gold, silver, and copper I had and realized, 'I'm pretty much rich, aren't I?'

I took as many Galleons and Sickles as could fit in my pockets, which weren't many, then I noticed something on the back of the door as I turned around: a green house looking thing with four medium sized squares under a...roof? It looked like a roof, after all it had a chimney, even though in the middle the whole roof shifts up some. I shrugged it off and went back to my treasure.

All my life, I've lived in the middle class of New York, which isn't as glamorous as Hollywood makes it seem. Yet, if we had been living in our world, the world I've had a right to live in my whole life, we'd have been rich! Seeing this vault of (my) money, made me even more upset at my parents for, 1. Hiding this from me, and 2. Running away and leaving me alone. If they had stayed we could be a normal family, but I guess I should move on. I mean, there is a REASON behind their actions, right?

I looked around me and Harry was leaning up against the wall, Hermione was still outside, and Ron seemed to be...jealous? "I'm ready to go, if you guys are," I said to everyone. Harry got moving first, followed by Ron. I grabbed his sleeve before he got too far. "Ron, are you ok?"

He sighed and looked around us. "My family, we don't have anywhere near this much money, and the fact that two of my friends do? It just, I don't know..." he trailed off. I then took the nearest stacks of Galleons (right? I'm saying that right, right?), each with about 25-30 coins in each stack, and handed them to Ron. He looked very surprised, but his eyes lit up seeing all that gold.

"You ready to go shopping, Ron?" I asked. He tried to tell me he wouldn't take them, but before he objected Harry yelled at us to, I believe he said, "quit snogging." So out we went, me leading while Ron tried to shove his treasure in his pockets, dropping half of the pile during the process. 'Oh, well,' I thought.

After another nauseating cart ride back, we went to buy our books, robes, and for me, a pet.

"Seems like owls are in this year," I said, seeing the Owlery.

"Owls are nice for sending mail, they aren't really good pets," Ron told me.

"Hedwig is a wonderful pet, Ron. She's my owl," Harry explained.

"What kind of animals can we have?" I asked.

"You can have a cat, a toad, or an owl," Hermione said. "I've got a cat, Crookshanks, and we've a friend who's got a toad."

"Nothing else, no turtles, dogs, snakes?"

"There's a reason dogs aren't allowed, and his name is Sirius Black. As for snakes..." Harry trailed. Ron got an uneasy look on his face, along with Hermione, and I didn't push it.

"Welp, I will have to think on this important decision. For now, I have an appointment I have to keep. Would any of y'all know where Mulpepper's Apothecary is?" They looked at each other strangely before Hermione spoke up.

"Mulpepper's Apothecary is in Knockturn Alley, Belinda. Only dark wizards go there." I know I should've gotten a bad feeling from that, but it just made me like Severus that much more.

"No matter what, I need to find it. I have to meet someone there."

"Who do you need to meet in Knockturn Alley?" Harry said, sounding really suspicious.

"Severus, was his name. Don't remember his last name," I told them.

"Severus Snape?" Ron asked. I nodded and explained part of what was going on. They relaxed and told me where it was, so I left in search.


	3. Chapter 3

((Hi, guys! Thanks for reading so far, I'm glad you're liking it! This is a fairly short chapter, a little bit filler honestly, but it's still nice. Also, I reuploaded Chap. 2 so that it's actually readable now [im so sorry about that]. Hope you like this, if you do, please leave a review, and have a good day!))

Knockturn Alley is a fucking maze! Worse than New York's subway system. I stopped at a dead end after wandering for what seemed like hours and saw a shop with a name I couldn't read, but the people inside seemed...familiar. But I didn't know anyone with hair that white blonde. Just as I was about open the door, someone else did and ran straight into me. At least I was paying enough attention to put up my hands and stop the boy about to walk over me. When he noticed my hands on his obviously very expensive jacket, he glared at me like I was scum. I deflated a bit and walked away, back on my quest to find Mulpepper's.

Which, luckily, was right next door! Upon entering, I saw the lack of customers and thought he had left and as I turned to leave, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned back and saw Severus motioned toward the rows of toad's eyes, monksbane, and other potion parts (I hope). The entire time we were there, he didn't say a word, just handed me random jars to carry. So I just followed him, carrying random jars.

"Sir?" I asked. His head barely turned my way. "If possible, could I perhaps take some extra classes? In an attempt to catch up." My request seemed to frustrate him, as he just scoffed and I felt the weight of my shame.

"I do not have time this year, but if a tutor is required we will know in time," he finally said. Severus walked to the front counter, instructing me to place the various sized jars upon said counter. The slightly hunched man standing behind it looked at the jars, then Severus, and nodded slightly before packing the jars into a box. After handing the man several Galleons, Severus placed the box into my arms and led us out of Mulpepper's.

On my way here, I had failed to notice the people (if you could call them that) lounging about Knockturn Alley; hunched, cloaks pulled tight around their thin, frail bodies, warts sticking out from the shadows they called home. They watched me with interest, perhaps too much interest, yet they saw Severus and quickly found other things to occupy their time. Without him, I most likely would not have walked out of Knockturn Alley alive. Needless to say, I breathed a little easier once we stepped back on Diagon Alley.

"Have you been to Gringotts yet?" Severus asked.

"Yes, sir," I replied, "but I haven't gotten my supplies yet."

"All your books and potions ingredients are at Hogwarts already. You mearly have to be fitted for your robes and find a wand."

"Actually, sir, I believe I found a wand," I chimed, pulling out my wand box. Severus seemed impressed and began moving toward what I could only assume is the robe shop.

"This is Madam Malkin's. Here, you will be able to purchase your robes," Severus drawled. As we stepped in, a woman of Mrs. Weasley's stature (short, stout, and radiating power) rushed me. Severus took the potion box just before they hit the ground. The woman, Madam Malkin I'm guessing, muttered under her breath, summoning a magical tape measure to size me.

"Are you from Hogwarts, dear?" she asked.

"I'm a transfer student," I simply put. She must not've been expecting an American in her shop, as my accent surprised her. Only for a moment, as she began smiling slightly before grabbing my wrist. The seamstress pulled me to a pedestal in the midst of many, many rows of robes of every color from black to white to putrid, vomit-colored orange.

"Here, try this on," she said, handing me a set of pure black robes. As I pulled the material on, it shrank to reveal the pale, almost alabaster skin covering my hands in stark contrast to the midnight cloth surrounding them. The bottom hem grew toward the floor, cloaking my feet in darkness. With my first set sized correctly, I removed them and moved to the next set, with it changing as the first had. The third set was perfect upon inspection, so I paid for the robes and made my way outside, in search of Severus.

Of course, he was nowhere in sight. I looked around, and spotted a certain blond who looked very familiar. Judging by his dark outfit/demeanor, he might know where Severus is.

"Excuse me, sir?" I called, moving toward him. He either didn't hear me, or ignored me. "Sir?" I tapped his shoulder and by the look on his face, you'd have thought I just threw up on his designer shoes. "I'm sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know where Severus Snape is?" His face changed from pure disgust to mere annoyance.

"What would he want with a filthy little mudblood?" the boy said with a sneer. Passersby gasped at this word, yet I stood confused.

"Not to be ignorant, but what's a 'mudblood'?" I whispered. The blond boy looked at me incredulously as I stood confuzzled.

"How dim are you?" he asked.

"Well," I started, shifting my robes to a more comfortable position, "considering I just found out I'm a witch two days ago, I'm not nearly as bright as I should be." This time, he looked confused and I took the chance to introduce myself. "By the way, I'm Belinda Faust. It's nice to meet you."

"Did you say, 'Faust'?" he asked seriously, to which I nodded. "I'll take you to Severus." The blond boy walked off, and I followed closely, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. I discreetly watched everyone around us, and they were looking at and away from us quickly, whispering unheard words behind their hands. I felt the need to glare, yet had no clue as to why. Were they afraid of what we might hear? Or what we might do?

"Ah, it seems young Draco has found a friend," came a smooth, intimidatingly deep voice. I looked up to see a taller version of my guide (Draco?) looking down at me (not just because of his height, either).

"Hello, sir. I'm looking for Severus Snape," I said. The tall blond looked at my face for a moment, then tapped someone off to his side. The other person turned, revealing Severus's natural scowl. "I've gotten my robes, sir. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, Belinda. Thank you," he answered.

"'Belinda'? Why does that name sound familiar?" queried the tall man.

"She's a Faust, father," Draco drawled, causing his father's eyes to grow to softball size as he turned to Severus.

"Faust? Severus, you know the others-"

"Let us discuss this at another time, Lucius," Severus interrupted. "Belinda, perhaps you should find a Weasley to get you back. Draco, accompany her." Draco nodded, grabbed my arm, and dragged me away into the crowd before I had time to process any of what happened.

Draco navigated the droves of witches and wizards with ease, never letting me drift away. Within moments, we had arrived at Flourish & Blotts and I could hear Mrs. Weasley inside scolding Ron.

"Here is where I leave you," Draco muttered.

"Thank you, sir. May I ask your name?" He seemed to suppress a look of disgust at my request, but nonetheless replied, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I hope to see you at Hogwarts," I said in parting. He nodded and disappeared into the crowd just as I felt a hand on my back.

"What the hell are you doing with Malfoy?"

I turned to see Harry, with Ron not far behind, fairly pissed off. "Draco? He was helping me get back here, and he led me to Severus. Why are you-?"

"Malfoy is no good, Belinda," Harry started.

"I'm warning you now, stay away from Malfoy. He's done nothing but torment us for five years," Ron finished, coming to stand next to Harry.

"O-ok, I didn't know," I stuttered, shrinking slightly. Harry and Ron calmed down, seeing my reaction.

"We're not mad," Ron started.

"We just don't want you getting hurt," Harry finished. I nodded, wanting to end this encounter. The boys wrapped their arms around me, then quickly removed them, glaring momentarily at each other.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Fred and George are at their shop, Mum's inside with Ginny and Hermione, and Remus is…" Ron answered. I waited for him to finish, but realized he had no clue.

"Most likely went home," Harry said. "If you want to go back, I'll come with."

"Actually, I want to check out the twins' joke shop, if you guys don't mind," I pondered. They nodded and off we went (after dropping my robes off with Mrs. Weasley).


End file.
